Should I sell my D3000 for a better camera?

[bigL]

I'm a straight up beginner when it comes to photography. I was given the D3000 as a gift because I had been wanting to get a DSLR for awhile, however after a few months of taking pics and getting an understanding of the techs behind a camera I am now considering getting the D5000.

Problem with the D3000 is that I have the Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens and yet my pics still come out fairly dark. Having read many reviews on the D3000, I am aware of lighting being an issue with the camera.

Will the D5000 really make much of a difference? Or should I stick with my current gear and keep practicing?

[Barbara V]

Have you considered changing the exposure compensation setting on your camera?... this can be gotten to via the Guide mode in the Shoot area.

[blackluna]

I used D3000 also. For 8 months, I've been shooting from landscape to macro. From street to indoor. I'm considering this cheap-starter-camera with average quality compared to similar type from another brand.

I'm guessing you're not exploring enough your camera very well. If you're shooting indoor or any low light situation, please check your setting first (in case you're using M, A, S or P mode).

Second, I agree with Barbara that you should check the exposure compensation. If it shows negative value (-1 or -2 or even -5), it brings darker results compared to normal exposure ( 0 ev).

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by bigL

I'm a straight up beginner when it comes to photography. I was given the D3000 as a gift because I had been wanting to get a DSLR for awhile, however after a few months of taking pics and getting an understanding of the techs behind a camera I am now considering getting the D5000.

Problem with the D3000 is that I have the Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens and yet my pics still come out fairly dark. Having read many reviews on the D3000, I am aware of lighting being an issue with the camera.

Will the D5000 really make much of a difference? Or should I stick with my current gear and keep practicing?

What modes are you shooting in? What type of light are you shooting in? Outside? Inside? This will make a difference. If you are shooting in P, S, or A, as others have alluded to, try bumping up your exposure compensation. If you are shooting in manual, expose a little more to the left of center on the meter, and this may help.

And to answer your question, I would stick with the current gear. I thought I knew my D40, backward, sideways, upside down, and every other way, but I seem to keep learning new things about it daily.

[Cindie Lou]

I have had the D3000 for a few months now and I'm still learning as well. I agree with Barbara, try using the exposure compensation. I was out in the woods last night and experimented with it and I'm starting to see a big difference with the lighting my shots. My question may help you as well. How do I adjust the exposure while I'm in M Mode?

[dcclark]

Rather than commenting on your specific problem, I will give this general advice (which seems warranted, based on the other comments in this thread):

Learn more about photography before you buy new equipment!

This means both the technical side (exposure -- shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, etc.), how to use your particular equipment, and also the artistic side (composition, light, lines, colors, etc.)

You may be amazed at how much more you like your camera and what you can do with it, once you've learned more about how to use it!

[Rehesan]

I agree with all the comments.

I´ve been using the D3000 for about 8 months now and I am still discovering a lot of its capabilities, not to mention when you get some glass and start to experiment with not only the 18-55 kit lense. Eventhough I think I have had no issue regarding dark photos, well only when I do not compensate the exposure correctly . I think the kit lense is farily good, maybe not the fastest lens, but for the amateur photrographer (as me) is a nice start. I also have a 70-300 f4-5.6 and I like to shot portraits with it, due the fact the images are really bright.

Not having more details on your shoting situation (indoor, low light, night portrait, night photography, overcast day, etc.) I think we are not able to really give an correct opinion, but I would say you may want to explore a little more your gear capabilities and also to experiment shoting with glass other than the kit lens, you can rent a prime lense (fast lense like f1.8 f2.8) in order to "test" and see if you get the results you are expecting for.

Honestly, I do not think upgrading your D3000 to D5000 will improve the light in your photos, because the only difference between this cameras (talking about light) is the D5000 has a higher ISO value, but as a beginner I do not see a situation where you need to pump up your ISO to 6400.

Cheers!